September 29, 2015 - 2:39am
Using malt extract - too much browning on crust?
I am currently baking with 2 dsp (about 60g) of malt extract in a 600g loaf at 70% hydration. The flour mix I use is 400g strong breadflour and 200g wholemeal rye. I bake in (the UK) in an elderly Aga oven which is not easy to adjust finely for temperature. I find the crust gets very dark and then burns quickly when toasted - with clouds of smoke in the breakfast time kitchen!
Is the sugar content of the malt extract accellerating the browning? Any comments would be most welcome.
Tom
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Yes, malt contributes to browning. Try covering your loaf with foil once it reaches the desired amount of browning.
you should check and the wholemeal doesn't require any. You can add more of course but 10% of the flour weight is extreme Try 6 g and see how that works.
Happy Baking
The OP's malt syrup is non-diastatic and only used as a sweetener (since it didn't turn the dough to goo). The malt that millers include with flour, as you already know, is diastatic so that it breaks down some of the flour starches into sugars.
Agree that 10% is rather high in my experience, compared to most recipes that call for malt syrup.
Paul